What books are similar to The Devil's Arithmetic?

The 10 closest matches to The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen on ReadingList include Girl in a Cage, The Fighting Ground, Number the Stars, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, and Code Name Kingfisher. Each is scored on shared themes (Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Devil's Arithmetic reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic

If you liked The Devil's Arithmetic, read Girl in a Cage, The Fighting Ground, or Number the Stars — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen — shares history

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Looking for books like The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (Historical Fiction · 730L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Girl in a Cagegrades 3–8: Is by Jane Yolen, the same author, shares themes of history, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Fighting Groundgrades 4–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of Holocaust and a close reading level (670L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Rifles for Watiegrades 5–9: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (730L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (720L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
One Crazy Summer750L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (750L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (760L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 680L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (680L vs 730L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (800L vs 730L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 680L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (680L vs 730L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (800L vs 730L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen · grades 9–12 — Is by Jane Yolen, the same author and shares themes of history.
My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Shares themes of memory and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín · grades 9–10 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Historical Fiction).
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Historical Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Devil's Arithmetic?: The 10 closest matches to The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen on ReadingList include Girl in a Cage, The Fighting Ground, Number the Stars, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, and Code Name Kingfisher. Each is scored on shared themes (Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Devil's Arithmetic reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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